A. Everyone Like Bigger And Better and Stronger and Faster – The Result of GMO’s

Life existed on earth for millions of years for which natural selection was the method of evolution. Encyclopedia Britannica defines natural selection as “process that results in the adaptation of an organism to its environment by means of selectively reproducing changes in its genotype, or genetic constitution.” An example of natural selection would be human beings with different pigmentation living in different environments. Going back to when humans were less spread out across the world, humans with darker skin lived in warmer climates while humans with lighter skin lived in cooler climates. Natural selection provides the idea that human pigmentation began to change while passing this biological change to offspring. This process continues with time as phenotype dictates change in biology.

Organisms adapt by using the stronger traits that will assist with its survival. What happens when there is interference with this phenomena? Breeding of organisms to provide a result that is beneficial to humans is the result of artificial selection. A good example of artificial selection is a mule which is the result of a male donkey and a female horse. Breeders (humans) mixed two different species to provide a species that is a better fit for work demand. Again, breeding is beneficial to humans as they manipulate nature to select the desired traits.

Charles Darwin compared natural selection with artificial selection to show the importance of natural selection as being beneficial to nature. Darwin made the point that what is important to an organism is its own survival. Let’s think about this for a moment. Humans think about survival too. This is why they have domesticated, farmed and breed plants and animals, right. Survival of the human race while ensuring that ecosystems flourish is of the utmost importance. In facet, humans partake in another form of artificial selection when they raise plants and animals then reintroduce them into a natural habitat. Though humans have found ways to survive, they have also found a balance that allow organisms to grow in nature too.

Scientist began to apply science to problems within genetics as science began to scratch new frontiers. The beginning for genetically modified organisms came in the early 1970’s. There were several cases where experiments resulted in extraction and transformation of organism; however, the first was performed in 1973. According to Wikipedia, Herbert Boyer and Stanley Cohen were the first to make a genetically modified organism when they took a gene from bacterium which resulted in the coexistence of a bacteria with an antibiotic. This was huge. I am sure of it. Because this signified the ability to channel a bio defense or attack while leaving non-harmful bacteria. This was an important step for science as genetically modified organisms commenced.